The next generation of perfection.

You've probably already guessed that the Garmin Edge 810 Bundle and Map Card grants you access to every available metric known to man. So, we won't focus on the obvious. Instead, let's take a look at the new features that distinguish the Edge 810 from the 800.

Starting at the screen, Garmin placed a focus on simplifying screen and metrics navigation. The initial start screen prompts you to select the CPU's functionality for your ride, either 'train' or 'race.' To avoid confusion, training mode is presented in Blue, whereas race mode is presented in Red. Additionally, this screen enables you to select the bike profile that you'll be riding -- mountain, road, cyclocross, or even unicycle if you're savvy. Once these selections have been made, you simply touch the ride button, and the screen moves to your race or training page. And of course, this page is customizable for every bike profile in your quiver. So, your ride page will only reflect the data that you deem pertinent to your ride or race. Even more impressive, and a jump away from the corner navigation fumbling of the 800, the 810 allows you to simply swipe the touch-screen from page to page. Also, Garmin designed the screen to operate seamlessly with gloved hands in the cold, in the heat, or even in wet weather.

And as long as we're on the subject of new features, you'll be ecstatic to hear that they 810 is Bluetooth ready. So, while sport device communication is still handled by ANT+ (say, wireless data transfer from the included HRM or a powermeter), the Bluetooth technology communicates with your smartphone. And to make matters even easier, the 810 is fluent in either Android or iOS operating systems. So, once you're synced up with your phone, and you've downloaded the Garmin Connect Mobile App, the 810 really comes alive. Essentially, the 810 receives data from your smartphone, like live weather and activity upload. This means that you're able to receive real-time weather conditions, forecasts, and alerts while your phone stays protected. And for activity upload, this hastens the data transfer once you've finished your ride. From any location, this feature allows you to wirelessly upload your ride data to your smartphone, which then uploads it to your Garmin Connect profile online. Accordingly, you can view your profile from the Mobile App, almost eliminating the need to access Garmin Connect from a home computer.

Impressed? Believe us, that's just the tip of the iceberg. With the 810's Live Tracking feature, you have the ability to share your activities in real-time through either email or the social media of your choosing. All that you have to do is to invite your coach, friends, or family to follow you on Garmin Connect, and then you're able to send email notifications reminding them to follow your real-time activity, stats, data, and location while you're on the bike. You also have the option to share this information via Facebook or Twitter. But, your adoring public aren't the only ones that can navigate your movements. With either the Mobile App or Garmin connect, you have the ability to peruse rides in your area. Once you find one to your liking, simply select the ride, and then the route is uploaded to the 810 with full GPS navigation capabilities. And whether you're on a designated route, or simply going wherever the road takes you, the map feature permits you to view the area in either topographical or detailed street views. No more getting lost.

Now for the guts. The 810 sees the return of Garmin's ever-popular, Virtual Partner and Virtual Racer training programs. The 810 accepts microSD data cards, and it's capable of storing up to 180 rides on its onboard history. It's rechargeable lithium-ion battery has a life that extends to around 17 hours. Garmin also ensured that the CPU is completely waterproof, and it's also compatible with virtually any ANT+ equipped device. So, mating the 810 to a powermeter will prove to be a painless affair.

The Garmin Edge 810 Bundle and Map Card is available in the color Black and includes a bike mount (standard and out-front), a Premium heart rate monitor, a speed/cadence sensor, data card pre-loaded with City Navigator, USB cable, an AC charger, and a user-manual.

ANT+ and Bluetooth capability

17-hour battery life

microSD expandable memory

Touchscreen navigation

Fully-featured map and route-finding abilities

City Navigator pre-loaded maps

Two mounts, premium heart rate strap, and speed/cadence sensor included

Here's what others have to say...

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So far so good.

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

I've heard about many of the issues with the Garmin 800 series and have been cautiously waiting to write a review until I've had a chance to use mine for awhile. As a word of caution, I haven't fully used many of the features on this device and I probably won't. I tend to set it up and leave it.

First, I used the same Garmin 705 for 4+ years and it still works. I'm not convinced I'll get the same longevity out of the Edge 810 device but only time will tell.

So far, I haven't had a single problem with the software. My device has never frozen, failed to turn on or lost any data for no apparent reason. The battery life is not impressive but since I don't ride more than 7 hours in one stint, this hasn't been a problem (unless I forget to charge it for a couple days in a row).

The feature I like the most is how you can setup all your bikes and the device 'remembers' all your settings. This is really convenient when you switch between bikes frequently.

I thought I'd use the remote tracking feature on occasion but I haven't even used it once. In theory, it seems like a really smart idea for longer training rides. But the reality is that I haven't felt like I've needed it and, well, a solo ride should be a solo ride.

The bottom line is that my Garmin 810 has been reliable since May (when I first got it). It seems like they've worked out some of the bugs. I'd definitely buy it again.

Comment on Chloe Woodruff's review:

Nothing but pure hatred for this device

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

What a disappointment for something so expensive. I bought this as my first ever bike GPS, and thought if I invested upfront that it'd be worth it over the many years of future use. Unfortunately as others have said before, the Garmin Edge 800 series is extremely unreliable. Don't expect to track an entire ride unless it's less than 30 miles. When I did my first 200K it froze on me 50 miles in and made this awful beeping sound until I did a force reset and of course I lost my data for that portion of the ride. It also likes to turn off suddenly and you don't realize it or sometimes it'll stop and start tracking you at random times, and this happens ALL THE TIME on rides. Forget using the auto pause function, it doesn't work and eventually my cadence sensor stopped syncing with the device (the cadence sensor works just fine with other GPS's though). This is the farthest from "The next generation of perfection" as possible. Shame on you Garmin, please make a fully functional product before launching it to the public for such a steep price. There were days when I wanted to smash this thing to pieces because of all the data I lost (and I definitely shed a few tears at times), but luckily I came to my senses and remembered Competitive Cyclist's awesome return policy and returned it instead of destroying it. Never again will I buy such an expensive GPS. I think a simple unit might be the best option until Garmin gets their software straightened out. If they do so, this device will be amazing one day.

Comment on K Frost's review:

Garmin Edge 810 review

Comment on Cameron's video:

Solid Product

Gender:
Male

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

I have the bundle with maps. I like the unit. It is huge compared to my Edge 500 The back light is great for riding in the dark. It is easy to switch between bikes. It was only an incremental improvement from the previous generation, but if you are in the market, it is a nice upgrade. The more I use it, the more I like it.

Comment on Cameron's review:

kinda lame -- maybe i have a dud?

Gender:
Male

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

Ok, I've bought a ton of stuff from Competitive, and I have bought at least 6 Garmin devices. This is the worst one ever. In fairness, maybe they will update the software at some point. Now, you can assume your 810 will freeze every 40 minutes of riding, and you can assume that whenever you try Livetrack, it will fail. The bummer is you plan on tracking your ride, and you fail miserably, but you can't predict when it will happen. In truth, you look down at the device and realize it's frozen, but you only realize that after you've blown your opportunity to track your entire ride. Major bummer. The software must be upgraded. Until then, avoid this product. I have the prior generation (without Bluetooth), and it works great. Buy that. Do not support innovation without improvement!!!

Update: I lost my Garmin 1000 (think my my toddler got a hold of it -- it's probably somewhere in a pile of Buzz Lightyear stuff). Anyway, I reverted to the 810 for a couple rides. The thing froze on both rides. I've learned to power down and back up to unfreeze (generally standing on the side of the trail or road, looking like a dork trying to figure out his GPS device). Well, on the first ride, the 810 promptly deleted the first 26 miles of data. I had to start over. The second time, the power-cycle worked. I'm planning to send it back to Garmin.

sorry it's taken me ages to respond to this. i like the 1000, although i don't use all the functionality at all. big display is great. no freezing. fairly intuitive. anyway, hope you get what works for you!